Well hello, hello, hello there everybody! It's that time of month again to share with ya'll my monthly favorites, beauty and non-beauties. Have you checked out my March and February favorites?
This BB Cream is a a perrrrrrrrfect case of "you should use new products more than once before deciding", "don't judge a product from their looks" and why iPsy is a great investment. I received this product in my February iPsy bag, not the full size of course but a deluxe sample.
To be honest, I initially didn't think much of this BB Cream when I found it in my bag. I actually didn't even like it because it seemed too dark for my skin tone even though it was in Light. My skin was still fairly light back in February so the shade seemed too dark and yellow for me. As the months went on and the temp kept rising, my skin darkened a bit. The shade started matching me a little bit better. Eventually, without even realizing it, I used this on a daily basis. My sample is almost out and what to do??? So I placed an order...for Light and shade lighter, also the lightest shade they offer, in Fair. If anything, I can use the shades on their own, Fair for the Winter months, Light for the Summer months and mix 'em for the transitioning months.
I love this BB Cream so much it was included in my Spring Face Routine post. IPKN NY stands for Independent Professional Knowledgeable New Yorker; it is a Korean brand, pursuing the New York sophisticated style, very Americanized. And when I say Americanized, I do not mean it in a bad way, in any way. It's just that Koreans' and Americans' make up are way, waaaaaay different from each other. While the Koreans' go for the natural dewy skin, radiant skin, popsicle stained lips while Americans love to contour, full coverage foundation, mattifying and full lips. So it is very interesting to see a Korean brand targeting the American market like IPKN NY. Although this is a BB Cream, it's nothing like the BB Creams I've used from Korean brands like Skin79, Lioele, Missha, Holika Holika or Etude House. For starters, most brands don't have shades selections, they come in one or two shades. Some brands are slowly releasing four or five shades now since their consumers are increasing worldwide. IPKN NY has four shades to choose from, Fair, Light, Light/Medium and Medium. As for the texture, IPKN NY is runny and liquidy yet thick, differing from other BB Creams which has a thicker texture. Depending on the type of BB Cream, it varies from light to medium to full coverage unlike this Moist & Firm BB Cream is a full coverage. It has such a full coverage that it can be worn alone without the aid of a concealer. This BB Cream has not broke me out, but then again, I don't have sensitive skin so that rarely ever happens. When I do wear a new product and it does break me out, I will not use that product ever again. I've used this since February, when the temperature was in the high-4os to low-60s up until now, when the temp is at 100+ degrees. It did not dry my skin out in the cooler months and controls my oily situation fairly well as of now. Like I said, I've worn this with and without concealer, on days if I didn't get a good night's rest, I'd use concealer for my dark circles or if I grew a pimple, I'll use a concealer, but on good days, this BB Cream alone is able to do the job. I have worn it with and without a setting powder, it works just as great either way; however, I like setting with a powder no matter what.
Exactly like the name suggest, whenever I wear this BB Cream, I feel like my skin becomes firmer, as if I was 16 all over again. As for moist, yes, it keeps my face hydrated throughout the duration of the wear and even afterward, my skin still retains the moisture from morning.
This mascara was the second mascara I've used since getting back into make up again, but it's the first mascara I've ever fell in love with. Of course, I have since moved on to love many other mascaras, but this mascara still holds a special place in my heart.... I just kinda forget about it every once in a while, but every Summer though, or when the temperature rises, I am reminded of how much I love this mascara. Seriously, this mascara, waterproof, does not smudge, budge or lose effectiveness even in the scorching Arizona weather. I'll be sweating bullets and my lashes are still curled and smudge-free. Just don't go swimming with it though... I made that mistake years ago and it was NOT pretty. :|
Even though I purchased this lip balm later in the month, it was quick to become my favorite lip product. This will continue to be my night time lip balm if or until I find a better lip balm. Now, if we're talking about overall favorite lip balm, it'll definitely go to EOS over and over again, every single month, so to have variety, EOS will not be named in any of the Monthly Faves, maybe at the end of the year. But yeah, this Kiss of Smoothness is very moisturizing yet lightweight and keeps my lips hydrated throughout the night. In the morning, when I brush my teeth, it'll automatically wash off, leaving my lips baby-bottom soft. I also apply this while I'm doing my make up and rub it off and put on EOS as a base for my lip colors.
I started using this back in high school and it's stuck around since then. It is seriously affordable, like less than a dollar at Walmart, but it does the job. No matter what shampoo I use it with, I always get the same results, conditioned, healthy, silky hair. I don't know how many bottles of this I went through already. I can probably build a fort with it.
I usually use this when I use a 2-in-1 shampoo. If I'm using a shampoo that has a corresponding conditioner with it, it's useless to use this also. So what I do is after shampooing and rinsing my clean hair, I would lather this all over my hair then tie it up and move on to bathe my body or shave. Ya know, the norms. After I rinse my body, I'll then rinse my hair as well. I'll let the conditioner run down my body. Just that, both my hair and skin are conditioned.
My Uncle has an outdoor shower so we can rinse after gettin' out of the pool. Immediately after getting out of the pool, I would lather my hair in this conditioner, tie it up and let it sit for about five minutes before rinsing. By doing this, I saved my hair from chlorine and sun damage last Summer. Yay for quick and easy hair care!
Yes, of all the fancy shamnacy lo-ti-on out there, this plain ol' Aveeno lotion made it to my favorite list. Surprising? Maybe, maybe not. Vaseline Cocoa Butter lotion and jelly are still my holy grails, but for the sake of variety, I chose my other favored lo-ti-ion. While I used Vaseline Cocoa Butter for night time, I use Aveeno for the day time, whenever I'm at home. I don't usually wear lotion in the day time, but when I absolutely needed to, my go to is this Aveeno. I can't say it's scentless, there is a scent, I just cannot pin point what. It's not an artificial scent, like perfumes masking for chemicals, I think it just smells like oats and soy, their natural ingredients. I especially like this for the fact that it dries SUPER quick! It literally takes like zero seconds for it to fully absorb into my skin and leaves no grease whatsoever behind.
SCENTS: Bath & Body Works Fine Fragrance Mist in Morocco Orchid & Pink Amber, Tokyo Lotus & Apple Blossom & London Tulips & Raspberry Tea
I guess Spring and orchid goes hand in hand. Here is another scent that includes these gorgeous flowers with light, floral scent mixed with Pink Amber; this is my least favorite out of the three, but I still like it very much. It's just a bit too strong to what I'm used to. Tokyo Lotus & Apple Blossom on the other hand, is my absolutely favorite this month. I love anything apple scented and anything "blossom" smells great. It's very light with a hint of sweetness to it. London Tulips & Raspberry Tea is the in-between one. I like it, I just can't really pin point exactly why I'm not too crazy about it as the Apple Blossom. I think it's a little TOO sweet for my taste. Does that make sense? That I can smell sweetness? But yeah, that's probably what it is.
MISCELLANEOUS: Bath & Body Works Gentle Foaming Hand Soap in Aloha Orchid & Honolulu Sun
Last month, I talked about the possibilities of repurchasing Caribbean Escape... It was tempting but I didn't repurchase it and bought a couple of new scents. Of the bunch, my favorites for this month are Aloha Orchid (again with the orchid) and Honolulu Sun. I usually dislike anything coconut scent, yeah I know, I'm weird, but I like this soap. There's a very faint coconut smell to it that I enjoy. I'm not entirely sure what the stand out scent for this one is, but I assume it's orchids. This soap has a sweet floral scent that isn't headache inducing strong.
My favorite food this month is so unhealthy...but it's so yummy. I can't help it! Two ice cream favorites this month, both from Blue Bell. The first is no surprise because Mint Chocolate Chip is my all time favorite flavor, Blue Bell just makes it THAT much better. The second flavor kinda surprised me a bit because I don't really enjoy peanut butter as a flavor. Butter Crunch is "vanilla flavored ice cream with chunks of crunchy chocolate peanut butter candy", it tastes even yummier than it sounds. It tastes almost identical to my favorite Dairy Queen Butterfinger Blizzards. I'm still drooling just thinking about it. Buuut it'll be another while until I get to taste those deliciousness in my mouth again. Since Blue Bell has many, many flavors, I'm trying to go through all of it, I might find a new favorite. It takes me a while to finish a tub though because I only indulge in this deliciousness once a week on Wednesdays when I'm enjoying my Criminal Minds.
Speaking of Criminal Minds, the second of the two part season finale airs tonight on CBS at 8 Arizona time. Ahhhhhh, the previews from last week has me super worried. :( Reid. Morgan. Nooooooooo.... :'(
My favorite food is unhealthy but my favorite drink sure is. The internet calls it a Detox Drink or Flat Tummy Water because it detoxes the body. The drink is a concoction of lemon (or lime), cucumber and mint leaves, ginger and orange are optional, brewed in water. Just throw all the sliced ingredients into a bottle, add water and let it sit overnight. It's so easy yet it's so yummy and effective. I'm not entirely sure if it really helps with flat tummies, because I've been exercising diligently and eating healthier, but I know for a fact it does effectively detoxes my body.
Another novel I started years ago and never finished, Grotesque by Natsuo Kirino; I believe it was translated, whether by the author herself or a translator. This novel is set in Japan and the narrator is an unknown, unnamed woman, she is the sister and old school friend of the two murdered prostitutes. If you're into the foreign, thriller, mystery genres, you might like this novel. This isn't the best novel I've ever read, surely isn't my favorite but it is a great relaxing read that kept me occupied.
I first watched The Swan Princess maybe when it first came out in '94 and I have yet to see it again until recently. I was not aware that it also came out with a second, third and fourth movie and a fifth impending. I totally forgot how much I loved this when I was a little girl. And honestly, you're never too old for cartoons, no one is. I really enjoyed watching this again and I was able to watch all of the parts thanks to Netflix. The first one is still the best out of the four in my opinion, the second one wasn't too bad either. Starting from the third, it kinda declined, but still.
I love me some Eric Nam, but don't let his baby face fool you; he is currently 25, turning 26 this year. :O I'm not complaining though, with all the idols popping up left and right, they just keep getting younger and younger...:'( So I appreciate Oppas like him.
His new song "Ooh Ooh" has been on repeat for the majority of the month. It's so dang catchy, he looks so happy and his dance is so freaken cute! What more can a fangirl ask for? Oh wait, he collaborated with Infinite's Hoya....yes, it just got THAT much better.
Aside from Eric Nam, I also enjoyed A Pink's new title track, "Mr. Chu". These girls never never fails at what they do. "Mr. Chu" is as catchy as "No No No" was. Their MV, live performances, dance, outfits and make up just screams Spring! They're just so beautiful, cute and sexy without even having to try. Pink Pandas hwaiting!
I am guilty again this month for favoriting two newly released songs. Gahhh, it is so hard to go through 3000+ songs when albums, mini albums and singles are released on the daily adding to the load. Just my luck that EXO released their mini album recently. Wheesung and G.NA finally made their comebacks, Hyosung made her solo debut, Infinite, GOT7 and Phantom are making their comeback and VIXX is rumored to make a comeback soon. 2PM and Beast will come back soon as well. New rookie group BTL is about to debut.... Woe is me. OTL
Alrighty, that concludes April Faves, I do apologize that it's a bit overdue; it was suppose to be up last week but things happened and everything got pushed down, but please look forward to May Faves in a couple of weeks, I'll try to be on time for that. Thank you for visiting and thanks a bunches for reading! :)
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